Item HT 30616 Postcard - 'Entrance to Suez Canal', Port Suez, World War I, 1914-1918

Summary

Black-and-white postcard acquired during World War I (1914-1918), inscribed 'Kodak Austral'.

The postcard shows an image of the entrance to the Suez Canal. The inscription on the back reads 'Port Suez' making it likely that the entry point at the Red Sea end of the canal is shown.

The Suez Canal is 160km long and 300m wide, connecting the Mediterranean Sea at Port Said with the Red Sea at Suez. The canal can accommodate ships with a 'vertical height' of 19m or 210,000 deadweight tons; however it is not wide enough to allow two ships to pass. Hence there is a single lane of shipping traffic with passing bays; the canal has no locks and it is estimated to take 11-16 hours to traverse its length. The canal also has a railway running its entire length on the western bank.

The Suez Canal opened on 17 November 1869 and quickly became an important world trading route. In 1875, due to debt, Egypt sold its interest in the canal to Britain and Egypt itself was conquered by Britain in 1882. However, in 1888 the canal was made open to all nations in times of peace and war by an international convention (the Convention of Constantinople).

British control over Egypt ended in 1922 and in 1956 the Suez Canal was nationalised by the Egyptian government. The Suez Canal is now under the control of the Suez Canal Authority and supports 8% of the world's shipping.

Description of Content

A body of water meeting land. Buildings and trees on the land, with a large building in the centre of the image. One boat on the water. Smoke rising from a chimney on left.

Physical Description

Rectangular postcard with black-and-white image with white border on one side, handwritten caption on bottom right. The back contains black text, with a handwritten description in black ink along the right side.